The Saviour
by maoridawn
Summary: Set in Season 4 but may go into Season 5 depending on how the story progress. Clark is slowly dying with less than a year to live; an unforeseen consequence of the Earth's Sun on his body. The key to save him lies with Lois Lane.
1. Chapter 1

The Saviour

Set in Season 4 but may go into Season 5 depending on how the story progress.

Clark is slowly dying with less than a year to live; an unforeseen consequence of the Earth's Sun on his body. The key to save him lies with Lois Lane.

A/U: This story will deviate from the plot in Season 4 and 5. Chloe knows Clark's secret but has not told him yet.

Chapter 1

Lois's stomach dragged herself up to her feet, looking down at the by-product of trying the new Chinese takeaway in Granville. This was the third time she had thrown up the contents of her stomach today. Luckily for her, the Kents were away for a few days and Clark was out in the far paddocks repairing a fence knocked down in the latest storm. The last thing she needed was the plaid obsessed farm boy teasing her about her stomach bug being due to the four pack of beer that she downed whilst eating their Chinese. The issue of alcohol was a sore point with Clark and he had spent the past two weeks lecturing her about the evils of it after the Metropolis Hotel Incident.

Lois thought back to what had happened but some of it was still a complete mystery to her.

" Daddy, you don't have to take me to such an exclusive restaurant. I would much prefer a burger and chips." Lois moaned as she looked up at the Bistro Restaurant sign.

The General smiled as he patted his stomach. "Lo, I am sure you have noticed that I have an expanding waist line. The army doctor listed the consequences of not watching my weight and convinced me that a healthy eating plan would not be the worst thing in the world. This restaurant is known for its healthy cuisine, so here we are."

Lois rolled her eyes. "I think you will find the only reason it's healthy is because the portion sizes are ridiculously small. The main courses look like a starter."

"I will order you dessert if you stop moaning. Anyway you are not paying, so shut up. Listen, I have to catch the midnight flight to Washington DC tonight so I have booked you into the hotel next door. I would have loved to stay longer but the Senate are trying to cut our budget again, and I am not going to let this happen."

Lois smiled as they were shown to their table. "You always fight for your country, don't you, daddy. I am sure you will change their minds."

"I hope so. So, how is Smallville High going?"

"It hasn't exactly been the most exciting six months I have had. Why can't I do the Army Correspondance Course but stay living in Smallville. I love spending time with Chloe although I must admit these good times are balanced out by the times I spend bickering with Clark. He is so annoying."

Sam smirked. "Isn't that how the best ones start?"

"Lana said the same thing. There is no way that Clark and I will ever get together. Hell, we are barely friends most of the time."

"So you tell me everytime we talk on the phone. Don't worry in about 3 months you will be planning your move to Met U, if that's still where you want to go."

"Yes, definitely, but I am still undecided about which course I should take." She admitted.

The rest of the dinner was spent discussing Lucy and the plans for her visit to Washington DC in the Spring Break. Lois was looking forward to seeing her sister again. Her relationship with the General was in a good place; a situation she often joked was due to the distance between them.

At 9.30pm, the General walked her to the adjoining hotel for a quick drink before his car picked him up to take him to the airport. "Daddy, I have trouble sleeping in strange beds. Is there any way that I could have a small glass of wine before bed? You are a valued customer, I am sure they will turn a blind eye."

The General would have normally refused but he could see the pleading look on her face. "Lo, I suppose you do look older in that dress so I will just this once."

He went to the bar and came back with two glasses of red wine.

Lois took her time on it, so much so that she was still drinking it when the driver arrived. The General stood up. "I am sorry I have to leave you mid drink."

Lois smiled as she stood up and hugged her father. "I will go straight to bed after this drink. I love you daddy. Call me."

The General teared up a little. "I love you too, Lo. Be good!" He headed off. Lois sat down, happy that her evening had gone so well. She was finally starting to feel as if he was able to be a real father to her and her sister.

Lois was just about to down her last sip of wine when she noticed a smartly dressed gentleman appearing with a bottle of wine. "I looked over and noticed you sitting alone. I was wondering if you would like to join me for a drink."

Normally, Lois would refuse but something made her want to stay. "Is that the best chat up line you could come up with?"

He extended his hand. "I don't normally do this and for the record I am not trying to chat you up; just thought you might like some company."

She just smiled when she saw his wedding ring on his other hand. "What would your wife say?"

He looked sad suddenly. "She died four years ago."

Lois responded immediately. "I am so sorry to hear that. It must be hard."

"Yes, it was. One moment she was there, the next she gone. She skidded on the ice and ended up down a ravine on her way to picking me up from the hospital."

Lois had not explain her feelings, but she felt an instant connection to this man. He looked so nervous and lost. "Sit down. I am happy to listen."  
>He took a seat opposite her. "By the way, I am Emil Hamilton."<p>

"I'm Lois Lane. It's nice to meet you." She smiled.

"So, what brings you to this hotel on this particular night? Do you stay here often?"

"No, I am just down here at Metropolis General for a conference." Emil explained.

"Oh, do you work in the medical profession?"

"Yes, I am in my final year of residency at Star City University Hospital."

"Cool, so when is the conference?"

"It was today. I fly back on the lunchtime flight tomorrow." Emil explained. "It wasn't the most exciting day ever. I am just glad that it's over."

"So you are quite late to medicine are you? Not that I am implying you are old." Lois laughed; the wine was starting to make her a little drunk.

"I am 34, so I guess in some ways it is a late move into medicine. I have been an eternal student."

"What did you study?" Lois asked. "I am having trouble deciding what to do at Uni. My cousin says I should go into journalism but I don't think it is my type of thing."

"I have a PhD in Astrophysics and one in Molecular Biology." He replied but not in the bragging way.

She giggled again. "I don't think they are my type of subjects. I think I would not find them enough of a challenge."

Emil smiled back. "You are funny. I wish I could loosen up. My colleagues say I am uptight and should let my hair down more."

"It doesn't look long enough to let down." She replied cheekily.

"So, what are you doing here?" Emil asked.

The alcohol was turning Lois into an open book. "I was having dinner with my father. He is a General in the US Army. He had to fly back to DC so he booked me a room for the night."

"Oh, so you don't live here."

"No I live in a small place in the middle of nowhere called Smallville, but you won't have heard of it."

"On the contrary, I studied the meteor shower for a project during my PHD." He explained.

"That has affected a lot of people in Smallville; people lost loved ones including my friends." Lois replied.

"I know it was devastating. I actually spent some time in Smallville about 6 years ago." He explained.

"So, is there anyone in your life at the moment?" Lois asked him.

"No." Emil gulped nervously. "I am pretty shy when it comes to women and I haven't met the right one."

"I am sure your soul-mate will be just around the corner." Lois smiled, wondering if she was overstepping mark.

Emil suddenly looked sad. "Kate was my soul-mate. She will be a very hard act to follow."

"Why not see how your life plays out, you never know what is coming next." Lois added.

"How about you? Do you have a significant other?" He asked.

"No, I am single. I am glad I am to be honest. Relationships just seem so complex. The son of the family I live with is a case in point. He has loved this girl since he was 5 years old and he finally got together with her a few years ago when they were 15 years old. Now you would think that is romantic and a happy story but it is like a HBO Melodrama. They have split and got to back together so many times I am dizzy and to top it off, my cousin is madly in love with Clark too."

"He must have something." Emil joked.

"Well if he has, it is not instantly obvious to me…." She paused and bit her lip. "well apart from his hot body." She realised what she had said and covered her mouth in embarrassment. "I think I am going to have to go to bed, I am getting drunk and between you and me, I am not even legal to drink."

Emil looked surprised. "You look old enough."

"I am only 18 years old." She announced quietly. "But I won't tell if you don't."

Emil made a zip motion across his mouth. "I am sworn to secrecy. Anyway hitting bed is not such a bad idea. I have really enjoyed chatting to you. I don't mean to be forward but why don't you pop up to Star City if you get a weekend free. I would love to show you around."

Lois smiled. "I might just do that." She got up and offered her hand. He took it and kissed it in an old fashioned sort of way.

She giggled as she stumbled off towards the lift. She finally found her room on the top floor. It was a huge room with lovely views of the City.

Just as she was about to get ready for bed, there was a knock at the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Lois could feel her head pounding before she opened her eyes. She eventually managed to adjust to the bright light shining through the window. It took her a while to realise that she was in her hotel room, lying on the bed. She noticed she was fully clothed and wearing the same dress.

She sat up but that had not been a good move; her head was feeling like someone had smashed a hammer over it. It felt like she had not slept in days. Suddenly her phone rang. It was Chloe.

"Hi Chlo. What's up?" She moaned.

"We have been worried. I've tried ringing you all morning but there was no answer. You should have been back hours ago. I know you like to sleep in but you missed an important test. Anyway Clark has a free afternoon and he is on his way to pick you up. I am just warning you he is not impressed as Lana agreed to go for a coffee with him later and he does not want to miss it."

Lois groaned. "Chloe, it's not that late…." She looked at her watch and noticed that it was almost 1pm. "Ok, it is late, but you should all stop worrying about me. I had too much to drink last night. This nice doctor turned up with a bottle of wine and I think I drank most of it."

"Look Lo, I have to go to Biology class now. You can fill me in on the gossip later. Clark has just pulled up at the hotel; he is coming up to your room now."

"Ok, Chlo. I am going now to have a quick shower. He can wait."

Lois hung up and opened the door to an impatient looking Clark. "Are you ready?"

"Come in." Lois half smiled. "I am going to have a shower or I don't think I will make it to the truck. Grab a soda from the fridge; dad is picking up the tab."

Clark folded his arms, as he often did when he was not happy. "Can you make it less than an hour? Lana has agreed to see me."

Lois was in no mood for a Lana drama but did not mean to put her foot in it. "Why do you follow Lana around like a little lap-dog? She doesn't deserve you. Isn't she seeing Jason?"

She could see the annoyance appear on his face. "Look Lois, forget the shower. Either you come now or I am off. Lana will always take precedence over you. At least she doesn't annoy me at every opportunity."

Lois retaliated. "Clark, when are you going to learn that she is not the one for you? She does not love you, she wants to own you. She loves the way you run around after her. Your soulmate will come around when you least expect it. I was just telling my new doctor friend the same thing last night. He thought he would not meet anyone either."

"So, you spent the night with a doctor, did you? You do realise your reputation is starting to go downhill very quickly with all these boyfriends and drinking sessions. How many notches is it on your bedpost now?" He fired back, angry at Lois voicing her opinions of the only person who mattered in this world.

She walked over and put her face right up to his. "Don't you ever talk to me like that? You know what… you and Lana are welcome to each but do not expect me to listen when you have your next breakup drama or argument. Let's go!" She grabbed her jacket.

The drive home was in silence and things had not improved in the three weeks since. It had got to the point where she was considering moving out. Lana had got her claws back into the mild mannered farm boy. Every time she came over, Lois excused her as she did not want a ringside seat at the Lovefest.

Lois was finally able to prop herself on a stool at the breakfast bar, clutching onto her black coffee as though it would save her life.

Just as she was starting to feel better, Clark walked in. "So you made it out of bed?"

"Keep it down, Smallville." She put her head in her hands.

He grabbed a cup of coffee and sat opposite her. His face was suddenly full of concern. "Can we talk? I am sorry about my mood recently. I have just been so uptight about Lana. I am worried about you, Lois. You seem to have been off colour for weeks and your drinking seems to becoming more frequent. Do you not think you should talk to someone about it? I can get you some contact numbers."

"No thanks! I have barely drank. I only had a few beers last night because your parents were away and I don't get much chance. Just because you don't drink doesn't mean I can't." Lois replied.

"Maybe Lana is right." Clark muttered without thinking.

Lois sat upright. "What's Lana got to do with this?"

"Nothing, it doesn't matter."

"Clark, it obviously does or you would not have mentioned it."

"She thinks you have got a drinking problem and she thinks you might make a drunken move on me. She has this crazy idea that there is something going on between you and me."

Lois got up. "Look Clark, I was not even going to dignify that with a reply but I have a right to defend myself. I definitely not going to stand here and be accused of potentially trying to seduce someone's boyfriend. For the record, you do nothing for me, Smallville. You run around so much after Lana that it is a total embarrassment. Anyway I am going away for the weekend." Lois finished her rant by storming off to pack.

Lana texted Emil to ask if she could visit him this week. They had become quite close via phone and email. He was the exact opposite of Clark, showing concerns for her problems rather than accusing her of being a drunkard. She used to like Lana, but this butter wouldn't melt act of hers was becoming tiresome and Clark's response was even more annoying. He needed get a backbone.

Emil replied. "I will meet you at the airport at 5pm. Your tickets will be waiting for you at Metropolis Airport."

Lois smiled. "He was certainly a gentleman."

She packed in under an hour. On her way out of the house, Clark was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with an apologetic look on his face. Her next move was a complete surprise even to herself.

"Clark, I don't want to hear, but just so we have things clear…" She walked calmly down the stairs, stopped to look at him and moved her face within inches of his. She saw a look of confusion on his face as she moved her lips to make contact with his. For a few seconds, she felt him tense up as her lips caressed his gently. Instead of recoiling in horror, he pushed forward putting more pressure on her lips. At the same time, he placed his hand on the back of her head as he became lost in this exchange. This move jolted her apart from him.

"See Clark… I didn't feel anything, neither did you! Tell Lana that there is no chance of us ever happening." Lois, nor Clark were convinced by this statement as she headed out of the door.

Lois climbed into the car, wondering what the hell had just happened. The kissing plan had backfired big time. She expected to feel nothing, but she felt the complete opposite. How could one kiss evoke such rapid and overwhelming emotions. She sped off.

The plane landed on time in Star City. She had been asleep from take off until descent; the previous night was obviously catching up with her. Luckily the sickness had settled down. Emil was waiting for her; he looked nervous but she did not know why.

"Hi Lois." He bent over and kissed her cheek.

"Hi Emil. Thank you for sorting out my tickets. I will pay you back."

"No, it is my treat." He managed a smile but something was definitely unsettling him. "I have a car waiting for us. I have arranged for us to stay at a friend's house as I only have a small apartment."

Lois nodded. "That's so nice of you, Emil. I should just warned you that if I am quiet and a little pale, I am recovering from a hangover."

Emil looked concerned. "Are you ok? How long have you been feeling sick for?"

"Just since this morning. I had some beers last night as the Kents are away for the weekend." She explained.

"Oh… ok." He replied, relaxing a little.

"Emil, what's up? You look like a rabbit caught in headlights."

"Nothing. I was just pulling an all-nighter at the hospital. Just tired I guess."

The car soon pulled up to a gate leading to a huge mansion.

"My god, your friend must have made it owning a house like this one." Lois gasped.

"Actually, he has rented it for a few months as his daughter studies at the nearby University." Emil explained.

"Oh I see, but it does look expensive."

The car pulled up at the large steps, leading to the doors. A man appeared dressed in a suit and opened the door. "Hello Ms Lane, we have been expecting you. I am Karl."

Lois climbed out and went to grab her two suitcases.

"We will take them to your room." Karl nodded to the driver.

All of a sudden, Lois felt her stomach telling her that she needed to listen. "Karl, where is your bathroom?" He pointed to the right side of the hallway. She sprinted and brought up the lunch she had eaten on the plane.

She cleaned herself up and walked out of the bathroom wth an embarrassed look on her face. "I am so sorry." She said to a worried looking Emil.

"Don't be!" A voice announced from behind her. She turned around to see a man approaching from what looked like a study. He was in an electric wheelchair and was propelling himself towards her.

She recognised him immediately. "Dr Swann?!"


	3. Chapter 3

"You know me." He replied surprised.

"Yes, this is really weird but my housemate is a big fan of yours, in fact of all things to do with astronomy. He has all your books and magazines articles. I sit reading them when I am waiting for him in the loft."

"That is very interesting, Ms Lane. Would you like to join Emil and I for a drink in the study?"  
>Lois smiled. "Yes, I would love to and you can tell me how you two know each other."<p>

They sat down on the large leather sofa with their drinks. "So how do you two know each other?"

Emil started. "We obviously share a love of things that are out of this world. We have known each other since 1997 when I was offered an internship at Swann Industries."

"Emil is one of my closest and most trusted friends." Dr Swann offered.

"How are you feeling now, Ms Lane?" he asked.

"I will tell you if you call me Lois. I am feeling better. I shouldn't have had those beers last night." She smirked.

"That's good." Dr Swann replied. "How is Clark by the way? I haven't had the chance to speak to him for a few months."

Lois just sat there in disbelief. "I know this is a small world but how the hell do you know a plaid obsessed farmboy from a backwater town in Kansas."

"Lois, have you got time for a story?"

She took a sip of her tea and nodded. "Years ago, there was a planet called Krypton. It was light years away from Earth. It was a technologically advanced planet much more so than Earth but this did not stop the population from destroying itself. Before it exploded, a man called Jor-el took his own son and sent him off in a spaceship to save him. The ship was programmed to land on Earth which it did in 1989. The Smallville Meteor shower heralded his arrival. Luckily he was found by a young couple by the name of Jonathan and Martha Kent who raised them as their own."

"Hell no…" Lois replied in disbelief. "Where is this boy now? Does Clark know?"

"I assume he does, considering he is the child in question. His Kryptonian name is Kal-el." Dr Swann explained.

"My god, I had no idea. Does anyone else know?"

"I believe his friend, Pete knows and obviously his parents. We suspect that your cousin, Ms Sullivan knows as she has been going some research for a few months now." Emil commented.

"There is a much bigger problem. Clark gets his powers from the Earth's yellow sun but recently we found out that there is a flipside to this. When Clark was sent by Jor-el, he did not know much about global warming and the effect on the Ozone layer. The rays are not only harmful to humans, but we have recently discovered that Clark is also being affected. The problem is that the rays are causing a type of Kryptonian cancer, similar to leukaemia." Dr Swann explained.

Lois was devastated by this news. "So can you not just treat him like you would humans?"

Dr Swann continued. "No, this cancer will spread rapidly throughout his internal system and shut down his major organs. That is why he has no symptoms and is in fact unaware of his potential fate."

"Potential fate? So there is a cure."

"Yes, there is!" Emil offered. "But it is complicated. The only way to stop this disease from killing Clark is for him to be injected with human stem cells."

"I'll give him some of mine." Lois added. "Is that why you have got me here?"

"It is not that straight forward." Emil explained. "Fully human stemcells would not work. He needs diluted human/kryptonian cells."

"How does that happen?"

"We have tried for almost a year to manufacture some in the labs but with very limited success. Time is running out and we cannot wait any longer. We have worked out that the only way is to take them from the umbilical cord of a human/kryptonian baby."

Lois was more confused. "So where do I come in?"

"We had to find a human who would be willing to carry a hybrid pregnancy." Virgil explained.

The realisation soon dawned on her. "You want me to have Clark's baby?" She could barely get her words out.

"That's what we planned for." Emil added.

"Why not ask Lana? I am not exactly the obvious choice for this mission."

"We have many reasons for our decision. But the fact you are selfless and would do anything for Clark without asking for anything in return was the overriding decision-maker. Lana cannot be trusted. There are many dangers to Kal-el in this world and Lana is top of that list." Virgil replied.

Lois suddenly felt honoured that she was the chosen one, but then the reality dawned on her. "I will do it in a heartbeat but I do have some questions. Why not just tell Clark? How am I expected to get pregnant? Can I keep the baby as I won't give it up without a fight? What happens if this fails?"

"Telling Clark now will complicate matters. Of course you will keep the baby. We only need the blood from the umbilical cord. We used a new injection technique using samples of Clark's blood to extract his full DNA Profile. This was injected into you at the hotel in Metropolis by Emil. The fact you are feeling sick now, tells us that it is most likely a viable pregnancy although there is still a long way to go."

Lois was a little taken aback. "You made me pregnant without telling me. That's a little weird to say the least."

Emil smiled at her. "I would not do that, Lois. You agreed to the procedure. We wiped your short term memory afterwards in case the plan failed."

"Is that why I cannot remember anything after the knock on the door?"

"Yes!" Emil replied. "Anyway, you will have loads of questions, but we are hoping you will stay here for the weekend to check you and the baby out and to prepare you for the upcoming 8 months."

Lois smiled. "This is getting odder by the second. Just a few more questions – how long does Clark have and what are the chances of him making it with the stem cells."

"He has about 12-18 months without treatment. He won't feel ill for quite a long time yet. The chances of success of this procedure are 99.84%."

Lois yawned. "Do you mind if I head up to my room to digest all of this information?"

Lois walked off to her room for some quiet time. She lay on the bed and rubbed her stomach. She had not thought about the long term consequences of having a baby, as it didn't matter. This little life growing inside of her was the key to the survival of the one person who meant the most to her. It had taken until now to realise that and she was not going to allow him to die without a fight.

Lois fell asleep for an hour. On waking, it took her a few minutes to process what had happened. Suddenly she felt her stomach heaving; she got up and ran to the toilet.

She decided she would see if there was anything to eat so she headed downstairs only to be met by Emil in the hallway. "You've been sick again, haven't you? Can you come with me and I will give you an injection to ease the symptoms?"

Lois took a seat in a large room, which had been decked out with various pieces of medical equipment.

"This injection should last a few days. I am moving to Smallville Medical Center to take up a post next week, so I can provide any medical support you may need." Emil explained. "We also need to discuss how you are going to explain your pregnancy. I am happy to be the father until the truth comes out. We can say we had a one night stand at the hotel and you became pregnant. We can just say I am supporting you, but we are not together."

Lois smiled at him looking all coy as though she was being asked out. "That would be great, Emil. I am going to have to get used to being a single parent anyway although Clark may have some input. Shame of it is that he would make such a great dad."

"As this is new territory, Dr Swann thinks that you may get powers at some point, probably not to the same strength as Clark but it is a possibility."

"So Emil, what are his powers?"

"He has super speed and strength, as well as xray vision, superhearing and heat vision. There is more to come including flying but he will gain more and become more powerful as he ages. He is invulnerable to everything except green meteor rock; this can kill him. You also need to watch out for this as we are not sure if it would harm the baby."

Lois couldn't explain why but she felt excited by this prospect. She would normally have freaked about getting pregnant this young but this was different.


	4. Chapter 4

"The main thing is Lois is that you know that you are not alone. You have back up. Clark is going to be a force for major good in this world. His destiny will change the world for the better. You are sacrificing so much for Clark and I hope one day he realises it."

"Well, I don't think he would thank me at the moment." Lois laughed. "We had a major bust up before I left and I kissed him."

Emil looked surprised. "Lana will be impressed if she finds out."

"I am sure she will be. Have you got a test? I might as well put us out of our misery."

He passed one to her. She came back a few minutes. "I am going to be a mommy."

Emil hugged her. "Great news. You will be about 5 weeks pregnant so I will scan you at the hospital next week. There won't be much to see but at least we can see that everything is going ok."

He put his hands in his pocket and pulled out a necklace. "Please wear this. The stone in the middle is an emergency beacon… activate it and we will know you are in trouble."

"Thanks Emil. Do you mind if I head to bed. I am so tired. You can run any tests in the morning that you need to." She kissed him on the cheek.

Lois slept well that night making up for all the sickness she had suffered over the past 24 hours except for some odd dreams about being kidnapped by aliens. She was woken at 9am by the sound of her cell ringtone.

"Hi Chlo." She announced as she picked up the call.

"Lois, where are you? I came over to see if you were feeling better but Clark mumbled something about you going away."

"I am staying with Emil in Star City." Lois did not give too much information away.

"Oh, I see. You seem to be very keen on this doctor." She probed Lois.

"He is the perfect gentleman. I like spending time with him. What more can I say?"

"Nothing really. When are you coming back?"

"I will be flying back tomorrow about 9pm. Don't worry my car is in airport parking."

There was an odd silence from Chloe. "Well it was. The Kents got a call to say it was being impounded as you had not validated your parking ticket. Don't worry I have paid for it to be released. It is back at the Kent's."

Lois sighed. "Just my luck! I must admit that I have been a little forgetful lately."

"Don't worry Lois. Clark has been very insistent about picking you up. He said something about wanting to make amends for what he said to you?" Chloe left the sentence open ended in hope of an answer. "Do you want to share?"

"Not really! I just want to forget about it. It is in the past now. Tell him I will see him at 9pm. I will text him the flight details when I check the flight number."

Lois hung up and soon fell back asleep. Next thing she knew she was sat bolt upright in bed with sweat pouring off her and her heart pounding. The last thing she could remember was being in a delivery room giving birth with her dad screaming in her face about Child Protective Services coming to take the child as soon as she had it. It was then that the floodgate opened.

The realisation of the life changing decision was starting to slowly dawn on her. Deep down she was knew doing the right thing and she would make the same choice again. But the whispers in her head were starting to get louder. However hard she tried to suppress the doubts they were surfacing. What would it be like to be a single mother to a child with possible super powers. Where would she live? How would she support the baby? Would her father disown her? Would she make a good mother?

To try and dampen down her concerns, she threw herself into getting as much information as she could from Emil and Dr Swann in the hope her growing fears would be allayed. She made sure that her doubts were hidden as she did not want to worry them. It was almost as though she had gone to sleep and woken up pregnant.

Emil had noticed Lois was quiet. "Lois, what is wrong? You have been very quiet over lunch. Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked concerned.

"No, its fine." She replied.

"Look, it is important you voice any concerns. This is major, Lois and we cannot expect you to just breeze though the next 8 months without issues and worries."

Lois took a deep breath and looked at Emil and Dr Swann who were just finishing up dessert. "Ok, let me lay my cards on the table. I am struggling with the fact I am pregnant but cannot remember how I got in this state. I know you have explained it, but not actually having the memories of it happening is odd to say the least."

Dr Swann nodded at Emil. "Lois, can you excuse me for a moment? I will not be long. I think I know what may help."

Five minutes later, Lois heard the doorbell ring.

Dr Swann entered the room with a man and he motioned for him to join them at the table. "Lois, may I introduce John Jones to you. He is a detective at the Met PD."

"Nice to meet you, Mr Jones." Lois replied with a confused look on her face.

"You must be wondering what I am doing here and how I am involved."

"Well it had crossed my mind I must admit." Lois laughed nervously.

"I am from Mars and worked as an advisor on Krypton to Jor-el. I have been here since Kal-el arrived and it has been my role to watch over him. I am also the person who took your memories of the night at the hotel. I can wipe minds as well as restoring them and that is why I am here. Would you be willing to have your memories restored? It will only take a few moments and will not hurt."

Lois nodded in agreement.

Soon they were back in the makeshift medical room. She tried to relax on the reclined couch as John placed his hands on the back of her head. She closed her eyes. Suddenly everything that had happened that night came flooding back and within a minute or so it was as if those memories had never been taken away.

"You can open your eyes now." John stated.

She did. "My god, you can do that anytime. I have never felt so relaxed."

Whatever John had done during those few moments had worked a miracle and she felt her fears melt away. Although it did not last; they started to reappear on the flight home. They were not as intense, just nagging. She knew she would have to take one day at a time. Having her memories restored strengthened her resolve to save Clark, no matter what it took.

Clark was waiting for her at the airport. For some reason the very sight of him had her stomach doing somersaults. It was obviously just the reaction to carrying his secret child.

"Hi Lois!" He announced sheepishly as he grabbed the trolley so he could push it.

"Hi Clark. Thanks for picking me up. You didn't have to."

They climbed into the truck and headed on the road back to Smallville.

"I am going to help you, Lois. You have always been there for me and I am not going to let you throw your life away."

"What do you mean?" Lois inquired.

He held up his hands. "I understand that you may take a while to admit to your problem. I have been reading some stuff on the web. There are people who can help. I have had a word with the school councillor and she would like to see you in morning recess."

She stared at him in disbelief. "I cannot believe you did that. I do not have an alcohol problem. There are things going on in my life but I am not an alcoholic. Stay out of my life, Clark. Go back to your perfect life with Lana and butt out of mine."

"I care about you, Lois." Clark admitted, before trying to grab her hand to show his support.

"If you cared about me, you would not bulldoze over my wishes." She fired back.

"I am just trying to help." He protested with an innocent look on his face.

"Who else have you told?" Lois demanded to know.

"No-one except mom. She overheard me talking to the counsellor on the phone." He explained.

"Oh great. What did your mom say?"

"She is worried about you." He replied.

"Is there anyone else who knows? In fact, just get the number for the Smallville Ledger; you never know it may make the morning edition if you are quick."

She could feel the surge of pregnancy hormones pushing her annoyance levels higher and making her more argumentative than usual. This was just the start of what could be a turbulent 8 month ride on the rollercoaster of emotions and hormones. Poor Clark had no idea what he was in for…..


	5. Chapter 5

Lois appeared from upstairs the following morning looking like something the cat dragged in. Martha was sitting at the table.

"Morning Lois! Looks like you could do with some coffee."

Lois held her hand up to stop Martha pouring her a cup. "I think some orange juice would be better for me."

"Have a seat and tell me all about your weekend." Martha announced cheerfully.

Lois managed a half-hearted smile. "Nothing really to tell. I just went to see Emil. It was different."

"You two seem to get on well."

"He is caring and a lovely man." Lois admitted truthfully. "We will just see how it goes."

There was something in Lois's voice that made Martha wonder if relationship would go very far. "That's nice."

Martha continued with her friendly small-talk when it was so obvious she wanted to tackle the main issue.

"Look Mrs Kent, I think of you as my adoptive mom, so you can just come out and ask. I know Clark has been filling you in about my non-existent drinking problem."

"Lois, can you please call me Martha?" She smiled. "Clark has been very worried about you and said you had been drinking."

"I have had a few drinking sessions in the past few weeks. In fact even the General bought me a bottle of wine."

"That's ok, but do you think it is turning into a problem?"

"No, I don't."

"Ok. Why don't you have a word with Mrs Humes at the meeting this morning? Do you want me to come?" Martha asked.

Lois would have normally said no, but something told her that Martha might be able to deflect the usual sermon that Mrs Humes, the student counsellor/nurse, would deliver on the evils of drinking.

"That would be great, Martha." Lois smiled.

Martha met Lois at the school office at 10am and they headed down the corridor to Mrs Humes office.

"Mrs Kent, nice of you to support, Ms Lane." The normally gruff counsellor managed a slight upward movement of her lips which maybe could be mistaken for a smile.

They both took a seat as did Ms Humes, who leant across her desk in her lecture pose as the students like to call it. "Thank you for coming to see me. I was going to ask you to come anyway."

"Why? I thought the only reason I had to come was because Clark Kent cannot keep quiet about anything." She fired back sarcastically. "No offence, Martha."

Martha smiled at her. "None taken."

"We have had numerous reports from your teachers that your behaviour has been strange for over a week now. Unexplained vomiting episodes, some angry and irrational outbursts over the smallest things and even walking out of class when things were not going your way."

Martha turned to look at Lois who had a horrified look on her face as though she had been caught in the act.

"Can you shed any light on this change of behaviour?" Ms Humes asked.

"No, not really." Lois announced evasively.

"Well, we need to get to the bottom of this so we can take action. This could seriously impact on your chances of getting the high school credits you need. Maybe your father needs to be involved." Ms Humes announced in what could have been construed as a threat.

Martha interrupted. "I am sure there is no need for that. Lois, is there anything you can think would make you act like this?"

"Have you got a drinking problem?" Ms Humes probed Lois.

"No, I have not." She knew she had to choice but to explain her behaviour as she was not ready to face her father.

"I am not allowed to drink due to my condition." Lois replied cryptically.

"What condition, Lois?" Martha placed her hands on Lois's. "You are pregnant aren't you?"

Lois burst into tears. "Yes, I am about 5 weeks along."

Ms Humes looked at her with a slight look of shock on her face. "This is not what I expected."

"I think we would be better to end this meeting. I am going to take Lois for some lunch as she looks a little sickly and upset." Martha ushered Lois towards the door.

Mrs Humes did not get a chance to reply.

Martha directed Lois to the car. "Let's grab a bite to eat in Granville and you can tell me all about it unless you would rather not."

Lois did not say much on the way to the café.

Martha ordered them both a sandwich and a juice before joining Lois at a booth in the corner.

Lois was still teary. "I am so sorry for springing this on you, Martha. I would have told you soon. I have struggled to come to terms with it myself and with all the hormones flying around, I feel like I am going crazy."

"Well, you're not. I am here for you, Lois. You tell me when you ready and I will support you as much as you want."

This kind gesture made her cry more. "Thank you! That means so much."

"I found out at the weekend. Emil noticed my behaviour was odd and got me to do a test. It was positive."

"It must have been shock. You must have had no idea." Martha replied.

"Yes, totally unexpected." Lois said. "Emil has been very supportive. He is moving to Smallville this week to be nearer to me. He has got a job at the hospital."

"So he is the father? I assumed he was."

"I got pregnant the night I stayed in Metropolis at the hotel." She explained without actually lying.

"I am shocked about my condition, but am going to keeping the baby."

"Well, I am here for you." Martha grabbed her hand across the table.

"So I guess we need to talk practical issues. Do you mind keeping this between you and me at the moment? You can tell Jonathan, but not Clark and definitely not my father."

Martha smiled and nodded. "I will even keep it from Jonathan for a few more weeks."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes definitely. When I drop you off at school I will go and see Mrs Humes and explain about what is happening including a quick reminder about confidentiality."

"Thanks! I am going to complete this year. I have worked out that I am due in November so I should be able to take all my exams. Maybe I can take a part time option at Uni."

"Why don't you talk this over with Emil?"

"I will. Do you mind if I stay at the Farm for a while longer. As stupid as it sounds I don't think Emil and I know each other well enough to move in together just yet. I know it's a little late for that."

"No, Lois. You just like to do things a little differently." Martha laughed.

"Yes I do. Life would be boring otherwise."

Martha giggled. "Well it is certainly not that when you are around. I can't remember what life was like before you came into it. You are like the daughter we never had."

Lois teared up again. "I cannot thank you enough. What would I do without you and Jonathan?"

"And Clark?" Martha added. "You really kick him up the butt when he needs it. I see some lovely glimpses of a carefree Clark when you are with him."

"I just tell him how it is. He will have a field day when he finds out about the baby."

"I wouldn't worry. Just give as good as you get. Mind you, now he is back with Lana you probably won't be seeing him that much. Although saying that he said he had spent the weekend alone, so maybe they had a row. He was very distracted when we got back".

Lois wondered if the kiss had anything to do with his odd mood, but dismissed it quickly remembering his words about Lana always been the most important thing in his life. How could anyone forget?

Martha looked at her watch. "You better go back to school now. Don't want you missing anymore school."

They headed back and Martha clarified the confidentiality issues. It was double chemistry and Clark seemed to go out of his way to make sure they were lab partners for the afternoon.

"Hi Lois. How did your meeting go?"

She just looked at him. "Fine, Smallville. It's all sorted. She has accepted that I don't have a drinking problem. It was all a misunderstanding."

Clark looked unsure. "Well if you're sure."

"Yep sure. There is nothing to worry about, but thank you for looking out for me. I appreciate it. Any way you can go and report back to Lana that I am fine."

His face changed. "We had a row. I don't think she has forgiven me yet."

Lois smirked. "What did you do this time? Leave the top off the toothpaste."

He rolled his eyes. "No actually, I did not invite her up to the farm at the weekend. She kept saying it was the perfect opportunity for some time alone."

"Maybe she was right. So what stopped you?" Lois asked waiting for the boring explanation to follow.

"You did!" He replied with his eyes fixed on hers.

Just as she was about to query that remark the teacher asked for their attention to continue the lesson. She followed him out of class as soon as the bell went and pulled him into a nearby empty classroom.

"Clark, we were interrupted before. How did I stop you having Lana to the farm?"

He looked nervous all of a sudden. "I could stop thinking about the kiss. It confused me."

"Why?"

"Because you said it proved we did not have feelings for each other."

"And?" She asked, her eyes locked on his.

"I not sure it proved anything so..." He did not speak further. He just looked at her furiously biting the inside of her lip. Slowly but surely his lips moved towards her, making contact gently. He sensually started to move his lips against hers, placing his fingers under her chin to apply more pressure. Lois could tell he wanted more but she couldn't oblige. She pulled away, grabbed her bag and fled out of the door in horror at what had just happened….


	6. Chapter 6

Clark did not follow her, in fact even if he wanted to he couldn't as Chloe stopped him as he headed out of the classroom.

"Clark, what did you say to Lois? She has just ran past me in tears."

"Nothing… we just had another disagreement. You know how it is between me and her. So what can I do for you, Chloe?" He asked distracted by what had just happened.

"I am here to give you some advice to save the one thing that matters in your life. You are going to have to pull out all of the stops to get Lana to forgive you. She feels rejected and unloved."

He looked at Chloe. "You're kidding, right! All I did was ask for some time alone at the weekend and now she is freezing me out. I am just going to let her get out of it herself."

She stared at him in disbelief. "This is Lana we are talking about. She will not forgive you unless you make an effort."

"Chloe, it's her loss. I am sick of running around after her like a lovesick puppy. Anyway I am going home now." He walked out of the building and climbed in the truck. "Do you want a lift?" he asked Chloe who had appeared at the window.

"No thanks. I am going to go home with Lana and do some damage limitation for you."

He made a face. "Honestly Chloe. Thanks for your support but don't waste your time."

On the drive home, he started to replay the exchange with Lois. His mind was so mixed up. Where had all these feelings for Lois come from? He was convinced that all this had something to do with the worry of her supposed drink problem. But how did that lead to him kissing her? He felt something the instant their lips connected. But he was not sure what?

There was no sign of Lois on his arrival at the farm.

"Hi mom." He announced as he entered the house and headed to the fridge.

"Hi Clark!" She announced from the kitchen.

"Ok, how did it go with Lois? She said she convinced Mrs Humes that she did not have a drinking problem."

"Can we talk about this later?" she replied whilst motioning with her head towards the downstairs bathroom. "We have a guest."

Clark looked at her and then heard footsteps approaching. A dark haired man with glasses appeared.

"Clark, can I introduce you to Dr Emil Hamilton?" Martha smiled. "Emil, this is my son, Clark."

He extended his hand to Emil. "Dr Hamilton. It is nice to meet you; Lois has talked about you quite a bit."

"All nice stuff I hope." Emil laughed nervously. "Please call me, Emil."

Martha motioned for Emil to have a seat at the table. Clark joined them, realising he was going to have some major backtracking to do. "I am so sorry about my comment about Lois. It was out of turn and I was only joking."

"It's fine!" Emil smiled.

"So what brings you to Smallville?" Clark asked.

"I have moved here. I was due in a few days but the hospital asked me to start tomorrow. I thought I would surprise Lois."

"Oh I see." Clark smiled, but underneath was wondering if this was why Lois ran off. He knew he would have to back off. She was obviously very happy with Emil and it was becoming serious very quickly. He could not explain it, but he realised he was jealous.

Lois came in the door looking flustered. She noticed Emil and Clark sitting at the table with Martha.

She ran up and hugged Emil. "What are you doing here? I am so glad to see you." She looked over his shoulder at Clark who looked dejected. He would not even make eye contact with her.

Clark did not know how to act around Lois; in fact he decided leaving the situation was the best option. "Look I will leave you two to it. I am going to the loft to do some maths homework. Emil, I am sure we will catch up again. Nice to meet you."

Lois looked at him as he left. "Could you give me a moment? I think he is feeling uncomfortable with whole drinking accusations thing. I am just going to see things are okay."

Both Emil and Martha nodded.

Clark could hear footsteps following him. He turned around to see Lois.

"Lois, you should be with Emil. He came all this way to surprise you."

Lois took a seat on the sofa and patted it for him to join her. "I just needed to clear the air between us. The last thing I need is for us not to be friends."

"Friends! When have we ever been friends?" He laughed, but with an underlying tone of nervousness.

"Why did you kiss me?" Lois came right out and asked.

"I honestly don't know. I was curious if the kiss you gave me a few days ago was just a fluke."

"What do you mean?" she asked, her heart pounding.

"I thought I had felt something when you kissed me and I wanted to know if I was mistaken."

"Were you?" she asked.

He stared at her a long time before delivering his answer. "Yes, I was. I think I must have been missing Lana. I am sorry for worrying you and giving you the wrong idea." He lied.

Lois got up. "Ok, as long as we are ok."

"We are!" He got up and hugged Lois tightly. "I don't want to lose our friendship."

She pulled apart from him, looking at his gorgeous hazel eyes staring back at her. "You won't lose me, Clark." She replied cryptically.

She walked off back to see Emil.

Emil and Martha were laughing on her return. "Did I miss anything?" Lois asked curiously.

"We were just joking about the differences between rural and big city hospitals. Anyway I am going to head back to Smallville to get settled into my new apartment." Emil stood up. "I would like to thank you for your hospitality, Mrs Kent."

"Emil, call me Martha. Would you like to join us for dinner tomorrow night?" She asked.

He looked across at Lois for guidance.

"Yes, that would be lovely." He nodded after Lois smiled at him.

"Lois, would you mind taking me into town. I got a taxi here as my car is not arriving until the morning with the rest of my belongings." Emil explained.

"Of course!" she smiled.

On the way back to town, Lois opened up about her school appointment and the need to announce her pregnancy to take the pressure off the drinking problem rumours. "You're not mad, are you?"

"Lois, you are in control of this pregnancy and I trust you 100%. We will follow your lead unless we think you are at risk." He replied.

"What is the problem with Clark? He seemed a little upset."

Lois went red. "He kissed me at school. He thought he felt something towards me after our last kiss, but he denied it when I went to see him in the loft."

"Have you got feelings for him, Lois? It would not be the worst thing in the world if you and he were to hook up." Emil smiled.

"Yes, it would. How would he take the fact I am supposedly pregnant with another man's child and I would probably end up telling him the truth. I do understand why you are withholding his diagnosis from him. I don't know how I feel about him."

"We just feel that telling him now could compromise his well-being."

"I know… So where are you staying?"

"At the new apartment complex off Main Street. Dr Swann told me it was very nice so he has rented me an apartment for the next 9 months or so."

"Cool!" She announced as they drove into town. "Do you fancy a coffee at the Talon?"

"That would be great. I would be very interested in meeting Lana. I have heard so much about her and was wondering what has Clark so obsessed."

They parked up and headed in for a coffee. Lois held his hand as they headed towards a booth; a fact that did not go unnoticed by her cousin who was propped on a stool at the counter talking to Lana.

She was over in a few seconds. "Lois, who is this?"

"Chloe, this is my boyfriend, Emil." Lois announced noting Chloe's shock at the obvious age difference. Lois had been very cagey about Emil as her cousin had a habit of digging for information. In fact she often wondered if she took after her Uncle Sam in that respect.

"Nice to meet you Chloe. Why don't you join us for a coffee?" Emil asked.

Lana was soon hot on her heels. "Hello, can I get you all anything?"

Lois sighed and went through the introductions again.

Lana brought the drinks, just as Lex walked in the door. "Lana, can I have a word about the business?"

Lois noticed the change of expression on Lana's face and wondered what this was really all about as they headed off to the back room.

Suddenly, Lois felt overwhelmed by a loud noise in her ears. Without thinking she covered them up.

"Are you ok?" Chloe asked.

"Just some earache. I think I am coming down with a cold." Lois made an excuse as she removed her hands and adjusted her hearing. She located the source of the noise; it was Lex and Lana talking behind the door. It was as though they were standing right next to her.

This did not go unnoticed by Emil who guessed what was happening. "I will have a look in them when we get back to my apartment."

Lois heard Emil and nodded. However she was more caught up in her new found abilities.


	7. Chapter 7

Lois was impressed with Emil's apartment. "I am glad it has two bedrooms as I suppose I am going to have to stay over a few nights to look convincing."

Emil looked at her. "I thought we were breaking up."

"I have been thinking about that and think it would be better if we stayed as a couple."

"Ok, whatever you think!" he smiled. "So is this the first power you have had?"

"Yes, it just hit me. I wanted to hear what Lex was saying to Lana but it got blocked out before I could work it out."

"I think it could take a while to master your powers. It took Clark years to develop and perfect his and we believe there is still more to come for him."

"We will just see what happens." She suggested. "Just wait until you taste Martha's cooking tomorrow night. It is to die for."

"I can't wait."

"Do you mind if I head back now? I am tired and have some homework."

"No, of course not!" He kissed on the cheek as he usually did.

Lois drove back to the farm. "Hi Martha. Thank you for making Emil so welcome today. I really appreciate it."

"It's my pleasure. He seems like a very nice man. How old is he?"

"He's 34 years old. I know 16 years is a huge age gap but we don't notice. He has such a youthful outlook on life. My dad will go through the roof when he finds out but I didn't plan on telling him for another few months yet. I will either have to cover up when I visit DC next month or cancel."

"See how much you are showing! I will not tell Jonathan until you say it is ok."

"That's great, Martha. I am feeling better since I got my injection for the sickness. I wish he could give me something for the hormonal swings. PMS has nothing on this pregnancy business."

"I will putting dinner out in the next 10 minutes or so. Could you go and get Clark from the loft? He is sulking about Lana, I think."

"Yes, no problem." She wandered over to the loft and slowly climbed the stairs. Clark was gazing out of the window with his telescope.

"Smallville, I don't think you will see her through that now she has moved in the Talon with Chloe."

"Ha..ha!" he laughed. "You are so funny."

"I know I am. What are up you to?"

"I am just trying to surprise Lana by helping her with the practical side of her astronomy project. Chloe said I had to grovel to get back with her, so I am making an effort."

"So what tells me your heart is not in it." Lois asked surprised at his lack of enthusiasm.

"To be honest, I never thought staying in love would be this hard. Falling in love with Lana was easy but our relationship and keeping her happy just seems to take so much time and effort. I guess it is not like you see on the movies, where girl and boy meet, fall in love and live happily ever after."

"Smallville, I think you are asking the wrong person. My love life has always been a disaster."

"Not anymore. Emil and you look like you're going to make a go of it."

"Maybe, who knows. Well at least until my father finds out about the age difference and the…" She almost said the word 'baby'.

"And what… You stopped midsentence."

"It doesn't matter. Anyway from past experience, I never plan more than one day at a time."

"Probably best." Clark smiled.

"Anyway, I am sure Lana will appreciate your help."

"Who knows? I never know what Lana wants." Clark sighed. "It's a very clear sky tonight. Come and have a look."

He put his arm around her as she placed her eyes to the telescope. "You can see the Great Bear clearly if you look at the top left."

"I can see it. ." She said as she moved away from the telescope and looked at him; their faces only inches apart. "Thank you for showing it to me. It's beautiful."

Clark looked at her. "You're beautiful." He said caught up in the moment. "You have a glow at the moment, I can't quite put my finger on why." He could not help himself and moved towards her. Their lips met softly at first but then she felt his tongue trying to gain access so she parted her lips to allow him. This was much more passionate than their last exchange, the heat flowing through both their bodies. Moments later they broke apart, their foreheads still touching as they met each other's gaze.

"What is this thing between us, Lo?" Clark whispered.

She smiled and whispered back. "I don't know but I like it." She plunged her lips back on to his so she could taste him again.

Clark was gaining confidence allowing his hands to wander down the small of her back. Lois pulled away slowly. "We need to go in for dinner or your mom will come looking for us."

"Where are we going with this?" He asked hopefully.

"Clark, I told you I take one day at a time, so let's leave tomorrow until tomorrow."

He smiled and kissed her tenderly on the forehead, as they went down the loft stairs holding hands, only parting them when in sight of the farmhouse.

"Clark, don't have go at me." Lois snapped as she entered the farmhouse, ensuring it looked like normal service had resumed.

Clark retaliated. "You shouldn't have said that about Lana."

Jonathan held his hand up and raised his voice. "Look children. Let's have a quiet dinner without any fighting. It gets very tiresome."

"Lois, your dad called. He said your cell was not connecting. He has sent two airline tickets by courier. There is one for you and an extra one in case Chloe wants to come. Apparently Lucy has been trying to call you to say she can't make it as she has won a place in the orchestra on its tour of Russia. Anyway, your dad said he was busy for the first few days of Spring Break so it would be good if you had someone to hang out with." Martha explained.

"Thanks for letting me know. I'll talk to Chloe about it later."

Lois headed over to the Talon to see Chloe. "Hi cuz." She smiled when her cousin answered the door.

"Lois, how are you feeling? I am sorry I have been off the radar for a few weeks. I finally finished my resume for the summer placement at the Planet. I only sent it this morning and guess what they want me to go in for four days over Spring Break for an induction."

"God, Chloe! That is great news!" Lois hugged her when she noticed Lana appearing from the bedroom. "Hi Lois, where is your new boyfriend or should I say man-friend. He is quite old for you, isn't he?"

"Age doesn't matter when you are in love." Lois snapped back.

"I suppose I just don't understand because Clark and I are the same age."

Lois was fed up of her attitude. "I thought you and Clark were on yet another relationship hiatus.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she fired back.

"Well, you seem to spend more time apart than together."

Chloe looked at both of them. "Can you two please stop it?"

"I think Clark was right about your drinking problem. He said you had turned into the most unattractive person with your moods and attitude. He said he wished you would move out." Lana explained.

Lois did not know why but those words stung. Maybe it was the hormonal imbalance caused by her pregnancy. She knew she was half to blame for this catty exchange but this did not make Lana's words easier to hear. Is that what he really thought of her?

"I am tired. Guess it's time I hit bed. Chloe, well done on your placement." She hugged her cousin whilst deliberately turning her back on Lana. Then she left.


	8. Chapter 8

For some reason, the tears started to stream down her face. The pregnancy was turning her into an official emotional blob, made even worse by Lana's words. The currently undefined relationship with Clark was messing her mind up even more.

When she got home just before 9.30pm, she found Clark on the sofa ready for bed reading a book.

"Hi." He sat up as he saw her enter the house.

"Clark, where are your folks?" She asked quietly determined not to wake them.

"They had an early night." He smiled. "I was going to turn in early but I thought I would wait for you to come in. Do you want a juice or a coffee?" He walked into the kitchen.

"Just a juice." She replied, her throat still croaky from her emotional outburst in the car.

As soon as she entered into the light of the kitchen he noticed the red rings around her eyes. Without speaking he went over and rubbed the dried tears off her wet cheeks. "What's wrong, Lo? You have not been yourself for a week. I don't like to see you so upset." He explained in such a caring voice.

"It's just Lana. She said some nasty things to me tonight but to be honest I probably asked for it."

His face changed to one of annoyance. "What has she said?"

Lois started to cry again. "She implied you hated me because of my supposed drink problem and that you wanted me to move out. Do you feel like that?" She asked him outright.

"Lois, I promise that I never said that. I may have commented that you annoyed me on a daily basis because of our fights. But I think those fights were hiding something much deeper."

"Like what?" she asked.

"Like our true feelings." He bent over and kissed her gently. She kissed him back.

After a few moments they parted.

"Lana can be so full of herself and talk about double standards. She accuses me of keeping secrets from her when in fact she is more secretive than Fort Knox."

Lois felt a pang of guilt at that comment with all of the secrets she was keeping from Clark. But she knew that there was a reason, much like he had a valid reason for keeping his powers secret from the world.

She sat on his knee while she drank the juice he had poured for her. "Thank you for being there for me. I am sorry for my moods recently. I don't mean anything by it. I think it must just be hormones."

"You are forgiven." He smiled.

Lois looked into his gorgeous eyes. "I was wondering if you would like to move off the sofa tonight. Why don't you come and share your bed? It's big and I promise no funny business." She laughed.

He looked at her in surprise. "I would love nothing more, but what happens if my parents find us?"

"You have told me before how they never come downstairs until the alarm goes off at 6am, so how will they know if we set the alarm for 5.30am. I feel so sorry for you down here and it does get cold in bed alone."

"I almost feel sorry for you, Lo." He had a glint in his eye. "ok, you're on." He said as he allowed himself to be led upstairs.

They sneaked past his parent's room and headed into the bedroom giggling to each other very quietly.

"You get into bed. I will have the side by the window if It is ok with you." She quickly headed into the bathroom to get changed."

When she came out with one of his old shirts on, she found him sitting up waiting for her. "This is strange. You know this is the first time I have ever shared a bed with anyone. I don't know what I am feeling about this. It feels strange but right. Why do you sleep in my old shirts?"

She smiled. "I don't know. I just find them so comfortable much the same as we are with each other."

She lay down and waited for him to cuddle in, but then she noticed him moving as far over to the side as he could.

"Clark, I know we are not ready for the next step, but you can come closer."

He smiled and leant over, kissing her goodnight. "I will stay here for now. It may take a while for me to trust myself."

During the night, he moved over until he was spooning her. Lois woke up and noticed his warm breath hitting the back of her neck. She was starting to have some really intense feelings for Clark and allowed herself to hope that maybe they had some kind of future together. She fell asleep thinking about how much her life had changed in a few short weeks.

Clark woke up with the sunlight streaming in through the window. It was 5.30am and he noticed how close he was to a sleeping Lois. She had turned over and was now facing him. He looked at her. She was so peaceful and so beautiful. One thing was certain – he was falling hard for her. He moved over slightly and placed a kiss on her lips before moving back downstairs.

Clark and Lois deliberately stayed apart from each other at breakfast and school as they agreed not to announce their relationship to anyone. Lois sat in her Maths class wondering why she wanted to move so fast with Clark. She wondered why she had invited him into her bed and after much deliberation, she came to the conclusion that she felt an undeniable connection to him, maybe made more intense that she was carrying his child. She hoped that Clark did not suddenly think that she was easy and would jump into bed with anyone.

"I didn't hear you leave this morning." She announced.

"I am very quiet. I had the best night sleep ever."

She smiled at him. "Do you think it is moving too quickly with us? I mean I hope you don't think that I invite anyone to share my bed after just getting together."

"Lo, I know that! I cannot explain why we are suddenly so comfortable with each other as well as having an undeniable attraction. It is like someone flipped a switch. Do you want to slow things down, because I want us to be able to voice any issues or doubts we are having?"

"I am not having any and would spend every night cuddled up to you if I could. We are not exactly strangers. We have known each other for almost 6 months. You are the first person I have ever slept with, in the sleeping sentence. I am new to all of this."

He leant over and kissed her.

His look suddenly changed. "I have just remembered Emil is coming for dinner tonight to meet my parents. What is your relationship status with him?"

She could see the serious expression passing over his face. "I am with you, Clark. Emil and I are just friends. I will make sure he knows that after tonight. I don't think he was that interested anyway. He lost his wife four years ago and I think he sees me as a friend. I don't think he is even ready for a relationship."

"So why did he move to Smallville?" Clark asked.

"That has been arranged for months. It's just a coincidence. I think he only came over that night because he heard me talk to dad about living in Smallville." This was the first time she had lied to Clark, and she did not like it one bit.

"Ok, thanks for explaining!" He did not seem totally convinced so Lois made a mental note for tonight's meal.


	9. Chapter 9

They arrived home to Martha in full swing with preparations for dinner. Lois could smell the meatloaf. "That smells delicious!" Lois commented.

"Thank you, Lois." Martha said as she waited for Clark to disappear. "How are you feeling today? I meant to ask if Emil knows that I am in the loop."

"Yes, he does. I am feeling fine today. That injection Emil gave me must have done the job. I may need a top up in the next few days. One of the advantages of going out with a doctor."

"That's good."

"Now where do I start?" Lois took her jacket off.

Emil arrived right on time at 6pm. "Thank you for the invite, Martha." He handed over a very expensive looking bottle of wine.

Martha showed him into the living room. "Emil, can I introduce you to my husband Jonathan." Jonathan got up and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Emil!" He smiled.

"Lois, can you go over and get Clark from the loft?" Martha asked."

"Yep sure!"

She found him sitting on his sofa just gazing into space. "Dinner is ready!"

"Come and join me!" He asked calmly. She sat down next to him. He turned to kiss her. "I am going to be on my best behaviour, promise."

"You had better be or I will make you pay later." She said in a demanding tone.

"Oh, I can't wait." He flirted back

They headed over to the farmhouse. "Hello Emil." Clark greeted him cheerily.

"Hi Clark." Emil smiled from across the table as they tucked into their food.

"Is no-one going to join me?" He asked pointing at the bottle of wine.

Jonathan smiled. "I'll have one although I need to be careful with my heart. It's not as good as it used to be."

"What happened?" Emil asked in his concerned doctor mode.

Jonathan explained about his heart problems.

Emil smiled. "Funnily enough I am running a new exercise and advice clinic for patients with varying degrees of cardiac issues. Why don't you drop in?"

Lois looked across the table at Emil wondering what that was all about.

The night went by without any issues, a good time being had by all. Lois was pleased that Clark behaved himself by not over-questioning Emil about his relationship with her. However that all changed when Clark insisted on driving Emil home alone.

Lois decided not to argue. "Ok, it will be so much better when you get your car." She kissed Emil on the cheek.

Clark headed out to the truck with Emil. They started the 5 minute drive back to town. "So, just come out and ask Clark?"

Clark looked over at him. "Ask what?"

"About Lois and I. She told me that you were worried about our friendship, which is all it is. She has strong feelings for you, don't underestimate them. I would love it if I still be friends with Lois, but I will back off if you feel threatened by me. You never know maybe we could be friends."

"I think I can live with that. I am hoping Lois and I can go the distance." He confessed. "Being with her is like a breath of fresh air compared to my previous girlfriend."

"Yes from what I heard Lana was a little bit complicated from what Lois told me. Lois is one of the most generous and caring people you could meet. You look after her!"

"I will." Clark pulled up at Emil's building. "Doctors must get paid well these days. These are nice!"

"Why don't you and Lois come around for dinner on Friday?"

"I will check with her but I don't see why not!" Clark replied with a nod.

Lois was pacing up and down the kitchen wondering what Clark was saying to Emil.  
>"Are you ok?" Martha asked. "I am sure Clark will be not be saying anything he shouldn't to Emil. "<p>

With the mood he is in these days I am sure he is too preoccupied with making up to Lana, although why he still bothers is a mystery." Jonathan added. "I will be glad when he meets someone less complicated."

Lois smiled. "I know what you mean."

Martha looked at her watch. "Is it that time already? Emil must have been here for almost four hours. He is lovely, Lois. I think you have chosen well. I am sure he will make a great dad." Martha stated after making sure they were out of earshot of Jonathan.

"I am sure he will."

Jonathan got up. "Lois, will you ask Clark if he can have a look at the fence in the far paddock tomorrow to see what size panel it needs. Just we have to head into Metropolis early in the morning for an appointment with the bank manager."

"Yes, no problem. Sleep well." She said.

Clark came in a few moments after his parents went up. "What happened?" Lois tried to remain cool.

"Emil explained about your friendship and asked my permission to still spend time with you. He also asked us over on Friday for some takeaway. I said yes if that is ok with you. Lo, you can hang out with who you want. I want to be with you; not own you."

She walked over and hugged him before pulling apart although she left her arms hanging around his neck. "You are amazing! I knew I was with you for a reason." He kissed him gently. "I am afraid our new sleeping arrangement is out of the window for tonight as your parents are getting up at 4pm. Your dad also asked if you could check out what is needed for the repair on the outer paddock fence."

He smiled. "I will check in the morning. Since we can't cohabit my room, do you fancy snuggling up on the sofa and watching a movie with me."

"Now, how could I turn down such a tempting offer?" She smiled.

Lois snuggled against his chest as they watched Jaws. "This is really nice to let me choose."

He looked down at her. "I am happy with whatever you choose."

Something in his words triggered an unexpected reaction. She pulled away from him and looked at him with a serious look. "Do you like Jaws?"

He shook his head. "I did the first time I saw it, but now on the 19th time it is getting a little predictable."

"So why are we watching it?"

"Because you wanted to." He smiled sweetly.

"Clark, can I be honest? You need to realise that I am not Lana. There is nothing wrong with a couple having a disagreement or even a fight. You don't need to walk on eggshells or do everything you can to keep me happy. Some days, you won't be able to keep me happy. You are not completely responsible for my happiness. I will not leave you when the going gets tough. I am in this for the long-haul if that is what is meant to be."

Clark sat in shock. "I don't know what to say. I am so used to having to tread carefully around my girlfriend or being careful not to upset her. This is a new experience for me and I would like us to make a major go at this relationship. I hope you know how much you mean to me, Lo." He leant over, pushing his lips on to hers.

She responding by pulling him on top of her. The passionate exchange was seriously starting to heat up. Suddenly Lois heard someone approaching the farmhouse. She jumped up. "Someone is coming?"

Clark listened carefully and heard some footsteps. "How do you know?" He asked puzzled.

"I heard Shelby get up like he does when someone is coming." She explained so he would not be suspicious.

There was a knock at the door. Clark got up and went to answer it. Lois tried to concentrate on the door and was shocked when she could suddenly see through it. It was Lana. She sighed to herself.

"Hi Lana." Clark announced as he opened the door. "What brings you here at this time of the night?"

"I have come to say sorry for my childish behaviour. I did not mean to storm off the other day when you turned down my offer to stay at the farm."

Lana walked in and sat down at the kitchen table, not realising that Lois was sitting on the sofa in the other room, listening to the full conversation. She would have left them to it, but there was something very suspicious about her behaviour. One thing she had learnt over the past few months was that Lana would never back down because she knew Clark would back down to keep her happy.

"It's ok, Lana. I am not bothered." He just wanted her to leave. "You are forgiven."

"Ok, I have a plan. Think of last time as a rain check. Chloe said your parents were going away in Springbreak for a few days. I will come and stay then. Of course you will have to ask Lois to move out for a while. I wish she would move out altogether to be honest with you.

"Lana, whilst we are on the subject - why did you tell Lois I resented her being here and wanted her to move out." He asked curiously, well aware of Lois's eavesdropping.

"She told you about that. God, she is such a drama queen. You didn't need to tell me about it. I know you hate her and would do anything to get rid of her."

"But that is not true. We do have rows but I do not hate her. Anyway, it is late and I am about to settle for the night, so goodnight." Clark replied without much emotion as he ushered her towards the door.

"Ok, we will get together at school tomorrow and finalise the details." Lana smiled and turned around and left.

Lois appeared from the other room. "Well that was interesting. Did she ever give you a choice when she went out with you?"

"Funnily enough… no she didn't. But now I can make my own choices, I have made my final one…you. I am not going to let anything come between us, Lo." He kissed her on the forehead and pulled her into a hug.


End file.
